By Charlotte Kemigyisha

Is your brand defined by emotions?

The young, bright and hopeful faces at the home fellowship this evening raised the bar for the countless questions going through my mind. Looking at everyone as they walked in and made themselves comfortable only served to confirm to me the power of emotions. Emotions have been the power behind bringing forth life and taking life in the same breath, emotions were the driving force behind the creation of the universe. Come to think of it; while searching for the Weapons of Mass Destruction – did the Bush administration forget to include or consider emotions as one such thing; Weapons of Mass Destruction? (Tongue in cheek)

Indulge me for a little bit as we review my version of the most superfluous brand in the world so far, NIKE and how their emotions have fared with celebrity endorsements. For a brand that is buying appeal into a market that is filled with real people in a real world with real problems including emotions, I find their actions superfluous hence their superfluous brand. A superfluous brand doesn’t need human endorsement as there are no (& will never be) perfect people leading perfect lives within a perfect environment in a perfect world. This is a glaring characteristic of our dear Nike brand.

Anyone remember the Tiger Woods’ marriage to Nike or how much he sold their brand? The day he committed a sin, he was thrown out without audience or pardon. We quickly forgot about him but he soldiered on and is now on his way back to the top demonstrating what real people go through. They don’t give up, they soldier on till they attain their desired goal.

On your remote control, press the FFWD button to the 2012 Paralympics – we have Oscar Pistorious promoting NIKE in an ad that ironically compares his speed to that of a bullet thanks to NIKE despite being an amputee. At the first hint of trouble, guess who mourned more than the bereaved? NIKE, yet again! I strongly believe they should not have pulled their endorsement faster than they signed it on. In my opinion, the giant brand should have waited for a guilty verdict (if at all there is one) before pulling their endorsement deal. As it is, they have destroyed the brand of their celebrity endorser in a court of public opinion!

My conclusion? A brand governed by emotions becomes a temperamental brand and temperamental brands have no long-lived story to tell.

Emotions are the heartbeat of the most intense passion you will ever encounter. These are the biological weapons that are being developed and explored in some “undercover laboratories” and will be the “in-thing” once we have satisfied our curiosity with the Cyber Weapons.

Looking at our Public Figures world over today, they are primarily defined by their absolute control over their emotions. While it defines their next steps in their career, this is not in isolation to them but is representative of all our destinies.

Being of a mostly calm demeanor, I am rarely consumed by anger but when it does I prefer to take a step or two back and contain myself before I can make any further comment. While having a heated debate recently, a friend crossed the line and really got me charged up to the point of being violent (SIC) by questioning the very foundation of my DNA. I struggled to remain civil while the other party wanted to hear me say it was okay but it was not okay (yet).

As a rule of thumb, I stay away from decision making when engulfed by my own emotions as I have learnt over the years, a word said can never be returned so think carefully before you utter anything in anger. Those that will be lenient with you should you need to swallow your words are very few.

My parting shot – how you manage your emotions can be define your destiny, don’t be a terrorist; utilize your weapons of mass destruction only for the good of the community.